SCOOP » Tajikistanhttp://i-scoop.org/scoop
Supporting Investigative JournalismSat, 19 Mar 2016 16:31:48 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1Tajik Handbook of Good Investigationshttp://i-scoop.org/scoop/blog/2015/10/14/tajik-handbook-of-good-investigations/
http://i-scoop.org/scoop/blog/2015/10/14/tajik-handbook-of-good-investigations/#commentsWed, 14 Oct 2015 10:14:20 +0000Trine Smistruphttp://i-scoop.org/scoop/?p=9215Journalists in Tajikistan now have a new source of inspiration for investigative journalism. 10 good investigations, supported by SCOOP, are collected in a new book with interviews with the reporters behind the stories and a theoretical chapter with tips and advice.

The initiative for the book is taken by former SCOOP coordinator, journalist Muhaiyo Nozimova, who was edited the book and selected the investigations. The picture shows Muhaiyo Nozimova presenting the book at the Global Investigative Journalism Conference in Lillehammer in October 2015.

The investigations in the book are translated to English as part of the SCOOP project.

“Unfortunately not the interviews, there wasn’t money for that,” tells Muhaiyo Nozimova. “But it is important to present our work to the world outside Tajikistan. We are a young country, and only after the SCOOP project did the journalists understand what investigative journalism really is. Many have attended courses, and one can see in the recent investigations that they have learned a lot.”

The theoretical chapter gives advice on planning and research in investigative journalism. In the interviews, the reporters tell of the problems they encountered, their methods, how they worked with sources and other advice.

The American embassy in Dushanbe has funded the printing of 300 copies of the book. The Tajik journalists are now looking into the possibility of publishing the texts online.

]]>http://i-scoop.org/scoop/blog/2015/10/14/tajik-handbook-of-good-investigations/feed/0New Grants for Cross Border Investigationshttp://i-scoop.org/scoop/blog/2015/09/01/new-grants-for-cross-border-investigations/
http://i-scoop.org/scoop/blog/2015/09/01/new-grants-for-cross-border-investigations/#commentsTue, 01 Sep 2015 08:47:17 +0000Trine Smistruphttp://i-scoop.org/scoop/?p=9141Funded by the Robert Bosch Stiftung, the Berlin School of Journalism has launched a new program for cross border journalism: ‘Reporters in the Field’.

]]>http://i-scoop.org/scoop/blog/2015/09/01/new-grants-for-cross-border-investigations/feed/0Journalists Under Attack in Ukrainehttp://i-scoop.org/scoop/blog/2014/02/01/journalists-under-attack-in-ukraine/
http://i-scoop.org/scoop/blog/2014/02/01/journalists-under-attack-in-ukraine/#commentsSat, 01 Feb 2014 13:17:46 +0000Trine Smistruphttp://i-scoop.org/scoop/?p=8261Journalists who cover the demonstrations in Kiev, Ukraine, are deliberately attacked by police who aim weapons directly at the media.

Oleg Khomenok, SCOOP coordinator in Ukraine, writes in an essay for the journalist network n-ost: “…I vacillate between frustration and rebellion. How is it possible that shots are fired against my colleagues in the streets of Kiev in the middle of Europe – simply because they are journalists? They are beaten because they perform their work, they are locked away, because they live among the protesters and report on the action.”

The attacks on journalists have no legal consequences. And very little – and late – support come from other media organisations.

]]>http://i-scoop.org/scoop/blog/2014/02/01/journalists-under-attack-in-ukraine/feed/0Concern for Detained Uzbek Journalisthttp://i-scoop.org/scoop/blog/2013/09/26/worry-for-detained-uzbek-journalist/
http://i-scoop.org/scoop/blog/2013/09/26/worry-for-detained-uzbek-journalist/#commentsThu, 26 Sep 2013 06:35:11 +0000Trine Smistruphttp://i-scoop.org/scoop/?p=8061Uzbek journalist Sergey Naumov has not been heard from, since he rang friends on Saturday September 21 to say he was in police custody. Media and human rights groups are concerned over the fate of Sergey Naumov.

Mr. Naumov had been investigating the use of child labour in Uzbekistan’s cotton industry, his colleagues say. He was also in contact with SCOOP Central Asia in connection with his work on child labour.

The cotton picking season is about to begin in Uzbekistan, and the country has a long history of using child and forced labour in the harvest. Global brands such as H&M, Adidas and others have boycotted Uzbek cotton products because of the use of forced Labour, writes the BBC.

According to Amnesty International, Naumov has been sentenced to 12 days in prison on a charge of “disorderly conduct”. He appeared in court without legal representation. Colleagues and human rights organizations fear that he will be ill-treated and possibly subjected to torture.

Naumov has been tireless in his coverage of very sensitive stories such as use of forced labour in cotton farming and the region’s environmental problems. He has worked for years for Ferghana, the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR), the newspaper Ecologicial Security and Citizen Initiative and the Russian magazine Politzhurnal, writes the organisation Reporters Without Borders.

]]>http://i-scoop.org/scoop/blog/2013/09/26/worry-for-detained-uzbek-journalist/feed/0Ukrainian Journalists Under Attackhttp://i-scoop.org/scoop/blog/2013/08/16/ukrainian-journalists-under-attack/
http://i-scoop.org/scoop/blog/2013/08/16/ukrainian-journalists-under-attack/#commentsFri, 16 Aug 2013 07:52:51 +0000Trine Smistruphttp://i-scoop.org/scoop/?p=8032Safety is fast becoming a coveted commodity for journalists and activists in Ukraine. Over the last month, at least five reporters have been attacked in apparent connection to their work, while scores of activists have been detained, the NGO for free expression IFEX notes. Read the whole story.
]]>http://i-scoop.org/scoop/blog/2013/08/16/ukrainian-journalists-under-attack/feed/0Call For Tomislav Kezarovski’s Immediate and Unconditional Releasehttp://i-scoop.org/scoop/blog/2013/07/06/call-for-tomislav-kezarovskis-immediate-and-unconditional-release/
http://i-scoop.org/scoop/blog/2013/07/06/call-for-tomislav-kezarovskis-immediate-and-unconditional-release/#commentsSat, 06 Jul 2013 04:58:46 +0000Helene Cherethttp://i-scoop.org/scoop/?p=7988(Berlin/Belgrade/Skopje/Kopenhagen) July 2nd, 2013 – The international journalist organisations n-ost, BIRN and Scoop condemn the detention of the Macedonian investigative journalist Tomislav Kezarovski. We ask the authorities in charge to release Tomislav Kezarovski immediately. We also call to the EU delegation in Skopje to draw the Macedonian government’s attention to his case and publicly call for Kezarovski’s immediate release.

Kezarovski is a journalist of the “Nova Makedonija” daily. Prior to his arrest, he was investigating the death of Nikola Mladenov, a Macedonian publisher and editor of an independent media outlet.

Tomislav Kezarovski is accused of revealing the identity of a protected witness in an article he wrote in 2008 for the “Reporter 92” magazine. The journalist has been detained now for more than 30 days. Last week the Skopje Criminal Court ruled that he should remain behind bars for another 30 days, because he may “escape or influence other witnesses” in a wider investigation.

With his report in 2008 he clearly acted in public interest. Revealing the identity of a false witness, he proved abuse by the police in a murder case: Later the protected witness told a court that his testimony regarding the murder was false and was made under threats from the police. An investigative judge has reportedly demanded that the journalist reveals the identity of his source.

This is the first time in Macedonia that a journalist is being detained for a text he wrote. We are convinced that his arrest and the accusation against him are meant to frighten a colleague, who clearly acted in public interest. His case also poses a threat to other journalists and therefore to independent reporting and media freedom in Macedonia.

Please support our colleague Tomislav Kezarovski, whom we know personally from several of our projects, by signing the attached letter and sending it to Tatjana Mihajlovska, judge in charge, (via fax 00389 2 3292 633).

]]>http://i-scoop.org/scoop/blog/2013/07/06/call-for-tomislav-kezarovskis-immediate-and-unconditional-release/feed/0170.000 Children and Minors Work in Tajikistanhttp://i-scoop.org/scoop/blog/2013/05/20/170-000-children-and-minors-work-in-tajikistan/
http://i-scoop.org/scoop/blog/2013/05/20/170-000-children-and-minors-work-in-tajikistan/#commentsMon, 20 May 2013 17:12:47 +0000Trine Smistruphttp://i-scoop.org/scoop/?p=7841The issue of children and minors’ labour exploitation in Tajikistan has been a major public concern for many years. Though there are no exact statistics for this area, the International Labour Organization estimates that the number of working minors reaches almost 170 thousand individuals.

The story was researched by Nazliddin Khojaev and published on March 20, 2013.

]]>http://i-scoop.org/scoop/blog/2013/05/20/170-000-children-and-minors-work-in-tajikistan/feed/0Virginity is Big Business in Tajikistanhttp://i-scoop.org/scoop/blog/2013/05/19/virginity-is-big-business-in-tajikistan/
http://i-scoop.org/scoop/blog/2013/05/19/virginity-is-big-business-in-tajikistan/#commentsSun, 19 May 2013 17:35:05 +0000Trine Smistruphttp://i-scoop.org/scoop/?p=7829When establishing a family in Tajikistan, the most important thing is the bride’s virginity.

If the newlyweds are soon divorced again, the main reason is brides’ failure to be virgin. Therefore, restoring the virginity has turned into big business in the country. Scoop supported journalist Ganjina Ganjova has investigated the area.

]]>http://i-scoop.org/scoop/blog/2013/05/19/virginity-is-big-business-in-tajikistan/feed/0Tajik Authorities Turn the Blind Eye to Child Prostitutionhttp://i-scoop.org/scoop/blog/2012/12/05/tajik-authorities-turn-the-blind-eye-to-child-prostitution/
http://i-scoop.org/scoop/blog/2012/12/05/tajik-authorities-turn-the-blind-eye-to-child-prostitution/#commentsWed, 05 Dec 2012 13:01:11 +0000Trine Smistruphttp://i-scoop.org/scoop/?p=7683The market for prostitution of minor girls in Tajikistan is growing. Taxi drivers, restaurant owners and also law enforcement employees all have interests in developing a market for underage prostitution.

This SCOOP supported investigation, completed by Gulafshon Soqieva, documents how the business works. It is difficult to estimate the size of the market. Tajik authorities keep statistical information related to minor prostitute secret and do not very much to limit it.

]]>http://i-scoop.org/scoop/blog/2012/12/05/tajik-authorities-turn-the-blind-eye-to-child-prostitution/feed/0Children Work in Illegal Iron Business in Tajikistanhttp://i-scoop.org/scoop/blog/2012/11/23/children-work-in-illegal-iron-business-in-tajikistan/
http://i-scoop.org/scoop/blog/2012/11/23/children-work-in-illegal-iron-business-in-tajikistan/#commentsFri, 23 Nov 2012 12:28:13 +0000Trine Smistruphttp://i-scoop.org/scoop/?p=7664During the Soviet times Tajik children as pioneers collected iron fragments to protect the environment and the country’s economic development. Today, some Tajik children are still collecting metals, but under very different circumstances.

The SCOOP supported investigation by Sitorabonui Sohibnazar shows that smaller companies, mostly from China, use young children to steal the iron and afterwards melt the metal illegally in areas where it is causing dangerous pollution.